Monday, 2 June 2014

A week in Israel to break the hearts of boycotters.

Just look at some of the Israel cooperation and trade developments
during one week in the middle of May 2014.

Germany agreed to continue using Israeli drones until
2020. Israel Aerospace Industries will continue to supply its technology and
unmanned systems following the expiration of its existing contract which was
due to end in 2015. Israel’s advanced intelligence systems for drones are
considered vastly superior to any European equivalent.

Israel signed a
bilateral industrial R&D cooperation agreement with China. China’s
Vice President, Liu Yandong, said China needs Israeli innovation to bring
prosperity to its people. The benefits are huge to both nations.

Bulgarian Prime
Minister, Planen Oresharski, paid an official visit to Israel looking to
benefit from Israeli technology and cooperation, particularly in its newfound
offshore natural gas fields. Bulgaria is also looking for more
cooperation and trade with Israel in agriculture, medicine, IT, tourism, and
defense.

Paraguay has reopened its embassy in Israel
following a twelve year closure. They hope to obtain Israeli involvement in
infrastructure projects, energy and agricultural modernization in Paraguay.
Israel’s Foreign Minister will visit Paraguay in July.

India just signed a new military cooperation
contract with Israel. Overall trade between the two countries hit six billion
dollars in 2013. Expectations are that it will exceed that figure this year.

Israel, Cyprus,
and Greece signed a cooperation agreement which focused on coastal
research, oil pollution, and exploration of hydrocarbon reserves. Ministers
from the three countries discussed the EU Horizon 202 initiative to depollute
the sea, climate change in the Mediterranean, environment and sustainable
consumption and production in the Mediterranean.

Israel and the United
Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding on digital cooperation between
the two countries. Israel will join the D8 group of advanced digital countries
currently being established by the British government. South Korea, New
Zealand, and Singapore are among the members.

Israel and Japan
look to forge close cooperation in cyber security in which Israel is an
advanced nation. The two countries signed a defense cooperation agreement
during Israeli Prime Ministers official visit to Tokyo.

With this in mind,
and the failures of BDS to push through effective boycott actions on campuses
in Britain and America, a true perspective can be seen in which BDS is a minor
irritant to Israeli interests. Generally BDS actions against Israel is played
out on campuses by radical students or by noisy demonstrators outside local
stores selling Israeli products.

Barry Shaw is the
Special Consultant on Delegitimization Issues to The Strategic Dialogue Center
at Netanya Academic College. He is also
the author of ‘Israel Reclaiming the Narrative’ available at www.israelnarrative.com Also available on Amazon.